-farmers pleased with the progress
-many returning to abandoned farmlands

Smooth flow: A section of a canal cleared by the NDIA at Kendal Section, aback Ruby. (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

A TEAM of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday paid a visit to Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Island) to assess the progress being made with work on several key drainage and irrigation (D&I) structures there.

Heading the delegation was Agriculture Minister, Mr Robert Persaud, and the purpose of the exercise was to make good on a promise to deliver quality service to farmers by adapting an inclusive approach.

He was accompanied by National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Lionel Wordsworth; Senior Engineer within the Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU), Mr. Fredrick Flatts; and Project Consultant, Mr. Ravi Narine. Other members of the delegation included Region Three Chairman, Mr. Julius Faeber, and Vergenogen/Naamryck Water Users Association (WUA) Chairman, Mr. Hemraj Rajnauth.

The projects at reference are subdivided into Lots One and Two, with the former consisting of the Vergenoegen/Bonasika and Den Amstel/Fellowship areas, and the latter of Vreed-en-Hoop/La Jalousie. Together they form part of a $1.2B programme funded by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the government.

Other areas benefiting from the programme are the Golden Grove/Victoria areas in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), referred to as Lot Three, with Lot Four referring to the Crabwood Creek area in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) .

The inspection exercise was also in response to a number of queries raised by the local daily, the Kaieteur News, at press briefings and in articles, for specific information on these projects, and the representatives of that entity not only had the opportunity of having all its uncertainties clarified but were also provided with a map of the locations at reference.

Other members of the media were also given copies of the said document during the course of the five-hour tour of the ‘Lot One’ aspect of the project aback the village of Ruby on the West Demerara and other areas within it.

Worthy investment
Mr Rajnauth, who spoke on behalf of the farmers in ‘Lot One’, said words were not enough to express their gratitude to the Government for undertaking the $385M investments in their neighbourhood, since prior to this development, they’d had to contend with rotting wooden D&I structures which were of no use to them.

Agriculture Minister, Mr Robert Persaud, centre, along with D&I and regional officials inspect the approach to this bridge at Kendal Section. (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

He said that with the current investment, most farmers are returning to those lands that were once abandoned, and that this was largely due to the availability of improved access to water and drainage. He had one gripe however, which was the deplorable state of the dams whenever it rains, which makes it difficult for the farmers to access their farms during the rainy season.

Mr Flatts, who as we said before is a senior engineer with ASDU, told reporters that the projects are on target, thanks to good weather and, he too acknowledged that there are some problems with the access roads to farms and rice fields during the rainy season.

He said Mr Narine, the consultant assigned to the ‘Lot One’ phase of the project, has been asked to redesign the ‘Parika Back’ access road, which is virtually impassable during the heavy rains, and that this exercise is expected to be completed by month-end. He was quick to point out, however, that this little development was not in the initial programme, but was implemented at the request of the farmers.

Narine’s firm is responsible for the technical supervision of ‘Lot One’, which is of 20 months duration.

Inclusive approach
Supervision of the project is done by both the project contractor and the WUA, and during their fortnightly meetings with stakeholders, whatever is to be done, including adjustments to the initial plans, is agreed to at these discussions.

Mr Narine, who was formerly the CEO of the NDIA, explained that within the contract sum, there is provision for some variations to accommodate these changes.

The aim, he said, is to ensure stakeholders’ satisfaction with the work being done, since the contract allows them to share their views.

Work in progress: A construction worker in action on a head regulator at Ruby. (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

“Any payment that is going to be made on a structure, there is an inspection sheet that is done by the consultant, contractor and the WUA. And only when the three sign off to that inspection sheet, the payment can be pursued,” he told reporters.

To date, work on ‘Lot One’ is some 23 per cent complete, and Narine said that with the current dry period, efforts are being made to get in as much work as possible.

He is hoping to complete 50 per cent of the project by yearend, and stressed that attempts are currently being made to complete structures in the remote areas before the arrival of the rainy season, so as to ensure easy access during this period. One of the requirements of the project contractor, he said, is to restore those access dams used during the project to the undisturbed state they were in before the initiative commenced.

Wider initiative
Minister Persaud noted that a similar D&I initiative to the ones in Lots One and Two and worth $390.5M is due to come on stream shortly in the Canals Polder.

During his visit to Region Three, the minister also examined major earthen works being executed by the NDIA in ‘Lot One’ to free-up the waterways in the communities there, thereby facilitating better drainage and irrigation in those areas.

He pointed out that said areas had been neglected for decades, but that since the commencement of D&I works there in the last few months, farmers have resumed cultivation.

D&I talk: Agriculture Minister, Mr Robert Persaud, left, listens attentively to a point being made by Region Three Chairman, Mr. Julius Faeber. (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

He said the objective of the inspection exercise was to have a firsthand look at the works being undertaken, and to ensure that the project is carefully monitored.

The initiative is being overseen by Narine’s SRKN Consulting Firm, representatives from the IDB, the ministry’s engineers and farmers.

Minister Persaud said he was pleased at the pace at which the work was progressing and that it is his expectation that the project will be completed earlier than anticipated.

He said he and his officers will be meeting with farmers from time to time to listen to their concerns, as they are part and parcel of the process to oversee the successful execution of the project. He said that farmers in some areas have made some positive contributions and suggestions to improve the initiative.
“At the end of the day, we want the project to be successful; we want the investment that we are making to bear the type of fruits that we want them to, and for the farmers at the end of the day to have better farming conditions,” the minister said.

These and other D&I investments and infrastructural developments, he underlined, are geared towards making a reality the government’s vision of building a modern agricultural sector that is the bread basket and model nation of the Caribbean.